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Posts By / Richard Amuzu

  • Jun 12 / 2017
  • 2
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Funeral Service: Shihan Cummins’ laid to rest

Today was the funeral of our Chief Instructor and founder, Shihan Cyril Cummins 8th dan. The funeral service took place at Our Lady and St. Rose of Lima in Weoley Castle attended by numerous family members, friends, colleagues and students from throughout his karate days including Sensei Yoshinobu Ohta, Senseis Ronnie Christopher, Ronnie Canning and Slater Williams and many others plus friends from his time as a bus driver and other former careers. Others had expressed their regrets about not being able to attend but wanted his friends and family to know that their thoughts were with them.

Shihan’s coffin was carried by three family members and three of his students and close personal friends and welcomed to the church with a guard of honour all wearing their gis and obis lining the pews and accompanied to and from the alter by a personal guard of his current students. As the coffin passed students bowed to pay their last respects.When the coffin reached the front of the church his six personal guard performed a final bow to Shihan  lead by Shihan’s senpai Sensei Austin Birks before they stood as a honour guard by the coffin throughout the service.

A moving tribute was paid to Shihan Cummins by Sensei Austin Birks,  Sensei Matt Russell read a poem he had written and Senseis Ronnie Christopher, Ronnie Canning and Lloyd Stephenson gave a touching at at times humorous tribute describing training with Shihan Cummins in the 70’s.

At the end of the service again the personal guard lead a final bow with Shihan’s coffin being led from the church by two of his young students who awaited him at the exit.

Shihan Cummins was laid to rest at a private interment accompanied by his family, personal guard and close friends followed by a private wake where a few stories where exchanged remembering past  times with Shihan Cummins.

The family and all of us at BHSKC would like to thank everyone who participated to day to help carry out Shihan’s final wishes and give him the send off he deserved. We will be holding a get together in the near future so that all students can gather together to remember Shihan and share memories of their times training with him.

Below are just a few pictures from training with Shihan Cummins

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  • May 16 / 2017
  • 0
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Enquiries about Shihan Cummins’ funeral

We would like to thank everyone for all the kind messages of condolence and sympathy on this site, our Facebook page and our posts in Facebook Shotokan groups and pages.

As I’m sure you appreciate it is a difficult time at present for his wife and family who are dealing with the loss of Shihan Cummins and taking care of the necessary arrangements. Therefore it would be greatly appreciated if people could refrain from calling the house in order to enquire as to the date of the funeral. Once the necessary arrangements have been completed and family members informed we will post an announcement here and on our Facebook page with regard to the funeral arrangements.

Thank you for your understanding during this difficult period.

The BHSKC Team

  • May 13 / 2017
  • 0
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Memories of Shihan Cyril Cummins

Thanks to Gary Tully for sending in this photo taken at the KUGB Nationals at Crystal Palace where BHSKC won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. What a great memory and proud moment for Shihan Cummins and his students.

 

 

  • May 12 / 2017
  • 0
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Personal video tributes in memory of Shihan Cummins 8th Dan R.I.P.

This is a personal tribute from a BHSKC team member that has been created to remember Shihan Cyril Cummins’ long and successful career in Shotokan Karate.

His personal ethos was very simple: Never give up, never give in. His memory will live on with the many karateka around the world who will train as he expected them to.

Thank you, Shihan Cummins. Osu.

Here is a short video courtesy of Eric Mather in memory of a truly great karate practitioner, instructor and mentor. Sayonara Sensei.

  • Apr 29 / 2017
  • 0
Classes

New venue and time for Wednesday’s Bartley Green class starting 3rd May 2017

As many of you may know there has been a change in ownership at Bartley Green Leisure Centre and changes in policy at the school that have resulted in us no longer being able to train there on Saturdays and having only an hour for Wednesdays. Thus after consultation with those who attend the class we have decided that we will be regrettably ending our over 30 years of training at Bartley Green and instead relocating the class to Longbridge Methodist Church, the same venue as the Saturday class. This decision hasn’t been taken lightly but we feel it provides the best training opportunity for all BHSKC students. The class will run from 6pm -8pm, allowing more time for training and is more accessible being close to Longbridge train station, major bus routes and road routes. The class will be taken by Sensei Austin Birks 5th Dan and Sensei Sue Hession 4th Dan.

 

We hope to see you all there.

 

The new venue:

Longbridge Methodist Church,
Bristol Road South,
Rednal,
Birmingham,
B45 9TY

(opposite the drive in McDonalds)

See the Google Map here for directions.

  • Apr 27 / 2017
  • 0
Classes

New venue for Saturday session starting 6th May and changes to Bartley Green times

Bartley Green Leisure Centre has recently undergone a change in ownership and there have been changes in the availability of the attached school premises. As you all know we have been trying to negotiate with Bartley Green so we can keep training on a Saturday, but sadly we have not been able to come to any arrangements to make this possible, so with a heavy heart we have to say no more Saturday training at Bartley Green from Saturday 22nd April 2017, but we will still be there on a Wednesday 7pm – 8pm. We can no longer go in early at 6.30pm, so please don’t arrive and go in before 7pm.

However from Saturday 6th May 2017, Saturday training will be at a new venue , Longbridge Methodist Church, Bristol Road South, Birmingham B45 9TY opposite the drive in McDonalds at the current time of 11am – 12.30pm. The class will be split between Sensei Austin Birks 5th Dan and Sensei Sue Hession 4th Dan with sessions for senior and junior grades. Sensei Steve O’Reilly 3rd Dan will be taking the Halesowen classes. Thanks for your understanding and sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Any questions please ring Sensei Sue Hession on 07976805472

See the Google Map here for directions.

  • Mar 28 / 2017
  • 2
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A video of Shihan Cummins training session with a special surprise

Another great video courtesy of Eric Mather from the training session on Saturday 25th March 2017 with a nice surprise for Shihan Cummins at the end organised by one of his young student’s in her early teens, Sophie Prosser of Core Karate. Sophie decided on her own to start the application process for Shihan Cummins to be considered for an honour and upon writing to Buckingham Palace to follow up on this received a letter from Her Majesty including a little something for Shihan Cummins.

  • Mar 22 / 2017
  • 0
Gradings

Dan Grading Certificate Presentations March 2017

Shihan Cummins presented the certificates from the March 2017 dan gradings to his students that had achieved their dan grades on the Saturday class at Bartley Green and Tuesday class at Halesowen dojo. Congratulations to Kathy Dearden from Ippon Ken Shotokan (5th Dan), Susan Hession (4th Dan), Richard Amuzu (4th Dan), Roger Cox (3rd Dan), Perry McEwan (2nd Dan), Ivan Butler (2nd Dan) and Tariq Maluana (2nd Dan) on achieving their grades. These have been a result of years of dedication and training and are great achievements.

  • Mar 12 / 2017
  • 0
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Shihan Cyril Cummins: Martial Arts Illustrated Hall of Fame Inductee

On Saturday 11th March 2017 Shihan Cyril Cummins 8th dan, BHSKC Chief Instructor and founder was inducted into the Martial Arts Illustrated Hall of Fame. MAI’s Paul Barnett surprised Shihan Cummins during a special kata and kumite class with the award in the presence of some of his current and former students including Sensei Slater Williams 7th dan who created the video below. On behalf of Shihan Cummins we would like to thank everyone who attended and was involved with this special event.

A video from the day:

  • Mar 06 / 2017
  • 0
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GREAT NEWS: Saturday’s Kata and Kumite Class is back on at an alternate venue!

THE KATA AND KUMITE CLASS IS BACK ON!!!

This Saturday’s Kata and Kumite class is back on.
We have a different venue for this week as the Bartley Green dojo is closed, Longbridge Methodist Church, Bristol Road South. B45 9TY. Usual time of 11am – 12.30pm.

Time to get back to training with Shihan Cummins now the gradings are over so we would like to see as many of you as possible. Don’t leave those new belts and your gi in the wardrobe come and train this Saturday. Don’t miss out:

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